Guilt, exhaustion, frustration, turmoil, confusion – all sentiments of my newly intermingled roles as Mom and Scientist. I’ve been pulling this act together since I had my first child – a little boy referred to as Monkey – last November. And while the tenure track to which I aspire presents a worthy challenge, my first four months of motherhood have shown this goal pales in comparison to raising a child. My son changed my life for the better and brought my career into focus. I am slowly redefining myself, and I implore every new mom to do the same.
The Tightrope: Finding Balance as a Scientist Mom
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Graduate School by the Numbers: Aftermath of the Decision
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If I needed a sign that I had chosen the right program – and my guilt pangs were a sure indication that I did – the Dean of the School of Biological Sciences at Super-Fancy Program called me personally to award me a fellowship (just for being a “top recruit”!). Now, I can afford a moving truck and food to stock our new closet-sized home.
Three things overwhelmed the aftermath of the decision-making process:
12 Reasons to Establish a Collaboration (or Not)
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As it turns out, we scientists are a very collaborative bunch! Well at least according to our recent article, There is No ‘I’ in Research, where researchers overwhelmingly opted for sharing the biline with others in order to complete projects faster than going it alone. But speed is just one reason we may consider working with collaborators, so to dig deeper into the reasons we seek out collaborations we’ve listed several potential benefits of working with others. If we can understand what drives collaboration, it may be possible to help support and enable more of them in the future.
Networking Etiquette: Opening Lines to Avoid
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We know. The word ‘networking’ may be about as pleasant to a scientist as the words ‘rejected’, ‘denied’, or ‘triaged’. For many of us, the idea of networking seems like a giant waste of time- something that’s just keeping us from setting up another experiment, reading a paper, or going home. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Particularly in today’s economy where jobs are predominantly landed through personal contacts, building relationships with colleagues in a diverse range of fields has never been more important. However, networking can be a bit of an art, so be sure to avoid these opening lines to ensure your NETworking doesn’t turn into NOTworking…
Vote for Your Favorite Scientist Homepage
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Today the flavors.me + BenchFly Scientist Homepage Challenge enters the final stage to determine which websites will receive a full year of premium services from the great folks over at flavors. To support your favorites, vote for them below before March 23, 2011- the top five sites you like the most will be declared winners. (And we’re not talking the Charlie Sheen kind of ‘winner’…) Of course, by creating fantastic homepages the entrants made it tough to decide between them. So to get the ball rolling, we turned to a few expert judges from academia and industry to see what criteria they value in a great website.
So You Thought Eating Poop Was Bad For You?
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Yesterday I got a package in the mail: My mum had sent me a red nose. I can imagine you are thinking “sweet!” or “what?” or “why?” or a combination of all these emotions, so I will respond to them all. Yes, it is awesome, and I proceeded to wear it as I drove around town running errands. It is a squishy red clown nose with a smiley face on it that gently pinches onto your own boring nose and makes it look sillier.
Graduate School by the Numbers: The Decision
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I have lost count of the number of people to whom I’ve turned for advice regarding the optimal career path. The beautiful thing about learning from other people’s experiences is that you come away with proof that things can work out (or not) if a certain course is taken. The agonizing thing is that you ultimately have to make your own decision anyway.
In stark contrast to my first year of applying to graduate school, I was accepted this round to all of my programs of interest. As encouraging as it is to be wanted, I somewhat wish that I was left with fewer options. After a bit of grueling rumination, the decision came down to two programs.
Graduate School by the Numbers: Interviews
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I survived graduate school interviews this year because of one very important mindset: they’re not just interviewing you; you are interviewing them.
In preparation for my four consecutive recruitment “weekends” (read: 15 days, 27 interviews, 2 committee meetings, 3 states, 6 flights), I scoured the interwebs for guidance. My favorite resources were Philip Guo and Neurotypical. And in the real world, I was fortunate to have the invaluable advice of my boss, our post doc, and the handfuls of graduate students currently enrolled in my programs of interest. As is my nature, and that of many type-A research personalities, I over-prepared [read: way over-prepared]. In hindsight, it came down to three things:
Sensational Science: Truth Behind the Headlines
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Ever see a news article title and have to do a double take? Below I’ve outlined a couple of recent examples of how the headlines that the popular press shares with the public don’t always match up with what the scientific press actually reports. Or, as in most cases, how the report is twisted in such a way to make for a good “story”.
There’s No I in ‘Research’ (But There is in ‘Science’)
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A wise man once said “Stop, collaborate and listen.” Few people knew he was making a profound statement regarding the nature of scientific research worldwide. Probably because they couldn’t get past his outfit. Or maybe his point wasn’t that deep afterall…
